If the KN drop in yields 3 hp and the CAI is about 6. Is the CAI even worth it? Will the gas mileage gains be neglible as well?

 

There is a little difference in HP and throttle response. I'd say get the jdm intake for 50 dollars, it's a great product and much better deal

 

In the long run no. But if you have a little extra cash to spend and time I say yes. Depends how much you like modding.

Yes you will see 1-2 mileage gain from both, depending on your driving habits.

 

i've had both and I think i noticed a bigger difference with the CAI. Actually right now im running the k&n SRI but I don't believe there's that much of a difference between that and the CAI. I still have my k&n drop in i believe if your looking for one, gotta check my garage and make sure...

 

I have a drop in myself, I think that and a cold air pipe (from the box) would be best. Because of where the air is drawn though the stock air box,from the oustside. But theres not too much difference personal prefferance really.

 

Unless you are wanting to spend a ton of money in the long run, get the drop in. Modding is addictive, i started with a CAI and then went to full exhaust and then decided this car wasn't enough so i bought another car (v8, 5 speed RWD!) just purely to mod and have fun with but then again, i always have been into cars.

 

Air box mod + K&N filter = FTW. MAYBE 2 hp less than a full CAI... and MUCH less cashola.

 

K&N drop in = $45ish? JDM CAI = $50.. i'd go for the CAI over the drop in, smoother tubing and the round/cone filter will draw in more air than the flat drop in.

 

Stick To The Drop In The Stock Air Filter Box Has Sort Of Ram Air So All U Would Need To Do Is Take Of The Big Box Replace It With A Plastic Tube And Im Prety Sure It Would Help Out Like A CAI Ill Tell U Though By Sat Becuase Thats What Im Going To Do.

 

why do you guys keep saying JDM? also, the CAI has a smoother inlet tract, it allows more air to easily flow in. it's like trying to breathe through a straw, then through a TP tube. which one is easier?

i know this the 2.2 section, but in the long run the CAI is worth the money. better gas mileage, better throttle response, there isn't really a downside. you'll feel it even more because you have the 5spd.

 

its the company that sells it.. advancedjdmparts.com

the surface area of a flat filter is about 1/3 of the area that the aem dryflow has. you will get more air thru the CAI and its a smooth tube all the way to the tb so you dont have the air disruption from all the sharp angles and flex tubing on the stock intake. plus the stock intake has that big ugly thing that sits all the way on top of the engine which makes the air not flow directly into the tb. plus.. its just, ugly.

 

Sorry in advance to all of you who have done the air box mod but air box mods are ghetto and looks like crap! Plus you can't go back to stock to take the car in for service unless you buy and extra air box and how much would that cost? I'm not sure but probably close to the cost of a CAI. You better believe that at some point you're gonna have to take it in for service with a CAI or Air box mod or K&N especially if you over oil the K&N because the MAF Sensors are so touchy even the slightest bit or filter oil or water sends it haywire! I've had the MAF sensor screw up 3 times in 2 years because of my CAI sucking in a little water when driving on the highway in the rain...

 

im rocking the air box mod (lsj)...i cant imagine a cai being much better. the thing that sucks about $50 intakes is that the filter sucks.

plus the plastic intake probably dose a better job of not getting heat soaked ...anyone remember iceman intakes lol.

aluminum dissipates heat really well....but you also have to remember that it conducts heat even better. so when the heat goes away (engine off) it will cool really fast. but when the engine is on heat will practically pass right threw it.

this is for the 2.2 i don't think you have to cut anything with the 2.2, and it looks stock from above.


and fyi i have the air box mod...it dosnt look bad, i took my time tho...it looks like it came that way from the factory (i'll get some pics ) and when i take my car in for work , or service , i just tell them not to worry about the air filter because i have a K&N. they are more than happy to not have to mess with it , due to its location lol.

 

airbox mod on the 2.2 you have to hack the whole thing apart..

 

What are you going to do when you get the CEL and the code is for "Air Intake Malfunction?" How are you going to explain the hacked up air box and the K&N? There is already a bulliten out there at the dealerships about people putting th K&N filters on these cars and over oiling them. If they see the K&N and the hacked up air box and automatically blame that and you'll be stuck paying for an expensive ass MAF sensor...

 

the maf is only $50 on gmpartsdirect

 

havent gotten it yet, and im planing on getting a dryflow filter. but if it dose happen what I would do is fix the maf my self , casue im sure all it would need is a good cleaning .then i take the car to my buddys shop so he clear the code with EFIlive...

and if that dosnt work ,or if you dont know people with a tuner you can fall back on this , http://www.knfilters.com/MAF/massair.htm


or you can avoid it all and not over oil the sensor. never trust the stealership lol. back when i was a installer ,we would have stealerships tell people that installing a raido in there car caused (insert electcal problem here) , from lights in there dash buring out , to power window motors burning out. most stealerships are out to look out for the company and make money. if you cant work on your own car , then you should look for a trust worthy mechanic that you can go to...even if you have a factory warranty ,its sometimes still worth having someone to go to for advice and 2nd opinion.

 

I have had my airbox mod WITH oiled K&N filter on my car for almost 2 years now, zero problems, zero codes. Just don't be an idiot with the oil.

Also, I have had to take it to MULTIPLE Chevy dealerships, for various problems, and nobody has ever said ****. Warrenty still in tact. Unless by some fate of God, a filter is not going to cause any problems to the car for anyone to deny warrenty work anyways. Learn before you speak.

I suggest you do a SEARCH by using the SEARCH TOOL for the Airbox Mod thread (many, many pages long) and read about how lots of people have been doing it and have zero problems, along with damn near the same performance of a dedicated, and expensive, CAI.

The only thing you don't get, is the looks.

 

All I'm saying is that IMO the air box mod is ghetto! IMO it looks like ****! I've gotten water in my intake from DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 65 MPH three times in two years. All three times it's ruined the MAF sensor. I limped it home and changed the intake out and took it back to the dealership. I can guarantee you that with the way the service manager at the dealership grilled me the last two times if I had admitted to having a CAI on there he would have said you're screwed and you have to pay for it. If the dealership can prove that whatever was wrong with the car was caused by an aftermarket part or an unapproved modification they WILL deny the warranty claim.

 

The CAI will start to see more benefits once you start doing more upgrades... the general rule of thumb is that Intake, Exhaust, and Headers are useless by themselves, as opening one up doesn't really help the others breath to complete the system...

Once you get all three you should begin to net some difference, especially if you add Comp Cams and a blower or other form of forced induction down the road...

 

you might just have bad luck with car,lol. there could be something else causing the maf to burn out.

i live in fl, its humid and wet all the time, its literally a swamp. and iv driving thro real rain...like driving at 10mph with your flashers on because its raining so hard that you cant see the car in front of you type of rain. and it's hurricane season , so everyday i have 45min drive home in down pours, some months out of the year i literally drive in the rain every single day. and so far no problems...

 

No when I pull the MAF sensor out I can see the water spots on it. I got MAF sensor cleaner and I clean it up really good before I take it in so they don't see the water spots on it.